Hi all,
I am already 44 months old!
I learnt to pose for the camera using my fingers in the month that passed. See, this picture above was taken on my 44th month birthday after my nap.
This month, I am really sweet with my words and gestures. Even Mama who is usually rather indifferent had her heart melted on several occasions. Without prompting, I would randomly thank Mama very specifically. For example, I would suddenly say,"Thank you Mama for helping me at shoes," if I want to thank her for helping me put on my shoes. Grammatically incorrect with the prepositions mis-used but I am only 3.5 years old!
I will also apologise specifically for my mistakes. I observe Mama very carefully when I make a blunder like spilling water and if Mama flies into a rage, I will say,"Sorry Mama to spill water"
Mama is very amazed at how specific I am with my words of thanks and apologies. She had certainly never taught me to say such things to her or anyone. Perhaps I had picked this up when some time ago we often prayed together asking God for forgiveness for the mistakes we had made.
Of course, with better usage of words and more words, it means I can communicate my needs and wants. For example, I will tell Mama to "turn and face me" when she is trying to help me fall asleep by patting me.
Mini-debates also ensued. Just last evening, I asked Mama if I could "take off shoes" to play barefooted at the playground. Mama refused as the ground was wet after rain. I touched the ground with my hand and said,"Floor is not wet." Mama could not find a better reason and resorted to "I am your mother and I said NO". Sigh, better to give in to her at times like these when she raised her voice at me.
A few hours just before Mama wrote this post, she was supposed to be reading to me in my room. She sneezed and I actually went out of my room into the dark living room. She disliked me going out when I am supposed to prepare for bed but when I came back with a piece of tissue for her, she could not bring herself to fault me.
This month, I am also picking up more life skills and in the process, frustrates my parents, particularly, Papa. I am very very interested in playing with locks and keys and had mastered how to unlock the gate to my house. Many a times, I am capable of unlocking the door too but Papa does not want me to do that for fear I may break the key while it's still in the keyhole and we will have to change the lock. See, here I was with Papa before we left the house. I insisted on locking the gate and my parents had to give in to me though they rather do it on their own as I take quite a while.
I also learnt to open the tin of milk powder using a teaspoon as a lever. I had also mastered covering the tin after Mama has scooped out the milk powder. When I first started learning to do it, Mama was rather reluctant for me to touch the tin as she disliked me taking a longer time and prolonging the exposure of milk powder to moisture from the air. Many a times, she will scold me for doing it wrongly, especially when I experimented with closing the tin with the other side of the lid. If I had not been more persistent about fiddling with the milk tin, I would never had learnt this.
So through all the frustrations, Mama comforted herself with the thought that it's good for me to learn the life skill of learning to use the teaspoon as a lever and practise covering the milk tin. This will help me be more independent. If she had not stood her ground, I would had learnt to scoop milk powder out to make milk for myself. But she is too fearful of the mess I will make with the milk powder and it did not help that the couple of times I touched the milked powder, she said unkind things to me.
This month, I had also grown closer to Papa. Sometimes, when I cry, I will utter "Papa". This is because I had been spending more time with Papa who is now working on part-time basis. Once, I asked Mama where was Papa and she said Papa left to drink coffee. I immediately said,"I want to drink coffee with Papa." Little did I know that was Papa's way of regrouping himself. But don't you think my response is very sweet? :D
This month, Mama started using a bath tub for my bath time. She had read many times that an evening bath is relaxing and can be used as a part of a routine to prepare me for bed and she had thought she had been doing it, showering me every evening. One day, it finally dawned on her that having a bath and having a shower is very different and she decided to start letting me play with water in a bath tub again.
This blue bath tub was the one Shu Shu had used when he was very young. When I was born, Nai nai took it out of storage, cleaned it and used it to bathe me. See how much I had grown! Now, this blue bath tub had gone into storage again. Mama is letting me use a red one which my maternal grandma gave to Mama as part of the wedding gifts when Mama married Papa years ago. That one is slightly bigger. I really enjoy the water play and at the end of the play, I love to tilt the bath tub to see all the water being thrown out. Splash!
I am also getting more aware of our positions as I will tell Mama we are "out from the house", "out from the church". She will correct me that we are "out of the house" or "we had left the church building".
I had also learnt to sing many songs. Now, I can sing Jesus Loves Me (this I know), Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, the ABC song and the Teapot Song. When I request for my CD to be played when we travel in Papa's car, I will always request for "ABC song then the Teapot song"
That's about all Mama can recall at the moment. Thanks for reading this far. Bye... :D
